Implementing health-promoting schools to prevent obesity

2020 ◽  
Vol 120 (2) ◽  
pp. 197-216
Author(s):  
Lindsay Bennett ◽  
Sharyn Burns
Keyword(s):  
Stakeholder Engagement ◽  
Role Models ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
World Health ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Evaluation Data ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Barriers And Enablers ◽  
Health Promoting Schools ◽  
Health Promoting

PurposeObesity in children and adolescents is a significant public health concern. The World Health Organization Health Promoting Schools (HPS) framework promotes good nutrition and physical activity in school settings. While HPS is embraced globally, effective implementation and sustainable programmes are a continued challenge. This paper aims to report on the characteristics of current school interventions based on HPS and implementation barriers and enablers.Design/methodology/approachA literature search identified peer-reviewed studies of school health interventions reflective of the HPS framework focusing on obesity prevention. Studies from all countries were included, if conducted in primary and/or secondary schools; included a sufficient amount of qualitative implementation or process evaluation data to draw conclusions regarding key barriers and enablers to implementation; and were published in English.FindingsNine interventions (n = 9) from seven countries were included. Most were implemented in primary schools and focused on specific grade levels. Engaging parents, the home environment, teacher time constraints, fun interventions, student participation, teacher training, integration with the curriculum and stakeholder engagement all emerged as strong implementation themes. Teachers as role models, establishing community partnerships and policy support also emerged as common themes.Originality/valueFuture interventions may benefit from enhancing teacher and parent health promotion. Partnerships with initiatives focusing on environmental sustainability may simultaneously benefit human and planetary health while strengthening stakeholder engagement opportunities and consistent messaging throughout the community. More comprehensive evaluation data are needed, in particular, for long-term HPS initiatives.

scholarly journals An examination of Health Promoting Schools in Ireland

2016 ◽  
Vol 116 (1) ◽  
pp. 16-33 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sharon Moynihan ◽  
Didier Jourdan ◽  
Patricia Mannix McNamara
Keyword(s):  
Primary Schools ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Good Practice ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Whole School ◽  
Health Promoting Schools ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Diet And Exercise ◽  
Health Promoting ◽  
Policy And Planning

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to report the results of a national survey that examined the extent of implementation of Health Promoting Schools (HPS) in Ireland. Design/methodology/approach – A quantitative research design was adopted. A questionnaire was administered to all post-primary schools in the country (n=704). Data were analysed with the support of the software packages, SPSS and MaxQDA. Findings – A response rate of 56 per cent (n=394) was achieved. Over half of these schools (56 per cent) self-identified as health promoting. Schools reported success in the areas of environment and curriculum and learning, however, partnerships and policy and planning required more attention. Some models of good practice emerged from the data but these were in the minority. Many schools, when asked to describe health promotion in their school, placed emphasis on physical health (diet and exercise) and curriculum predominately rather than the broader whole school conceptualisation. Only 35 per cent of HPS schools had a team supporting HPS developments. Only 36 per cent identified the existence of a school policy to support HPS. This suggests that further coherence for sustained and comprehensive implementation of HPS is necessary. Research limitations/implications – The research was conducted with school staff, in the first instance who self-reported their school’s level of HPS engagement. Originality/value – This paper offers the first national baseline data available in relation to engagement in HPS in Ireland. It provides a valuable starting point from which further research with schools in this field can be conducted.

Vaccine hesitancy and implications on childhood immunisation in Malaysia

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Noor Hazilah Abd Manaf ◽  
Mohd Azahadi Omar ◽  
Fatin Husna Suib
Keyword(s):  
World Health ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Vaccine Hesitancy ◽  
Personal Choice ◽  
Childhood Immunisation ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Parental Decision ◽  
Islamic Medicine ◽  
Health Organization

PurposeThe World Health Organization identified vaccine hesitancy as one of the ten threats to global health in 2019. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the implications and factors affecting parental decision on childhood immunisation in Malaysia.Design/methodology/approachThis paper reviews literature on vaccine hesitancy and evaluation of factors affecting parental decision on childhood immunisation in Malaysia.FindingsVaccine hesitancy is a growing public health concern in Malaysia with factors such as influence of Internet and social media, personal choice and individual right, conspiracy theory, religious reasons and alternative medicine as among the influencing dynamics. An urban, educated demography operating within a postmodern medical paradigm compounds the diminishing value of vaccines.Originality/valueThis paper provides a comprehensive examination of vaccine hesitancy in Malaysia. Critical appraisal on personal choice over societal responsibility within an Asian/Muslim collectivist society has not been discussed in previous studies. The acceptance of homeopathy as an Islamic medicine alternative is peculiar to multi-ethnic, multi-cultural Malaysia.

Assessment of the WHO Health Promoting Schools Framework among schools in selected villages of rural Puducherry, South India – a mixed method study

2019 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Krishnamoorthy Yuvaraj ◽  
Dinesh Kumar ◽  
Shanthosh Priyan ◽  
Lakshminarayanan Subitha ◽  
Gokhale Tanmay ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Promotion ◽  
Children And Adolescents ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
World Health Organisation ◽  
World Health ◽  
Promotion Policy ◽  
Health Promoting Schools ◽  
Health Promoting ◽  
Almost All ◽  
Depth Interviews

Abstract Background The health of children and adolescents can be promoted through schools as they spend most of their time in school. The Health Promoting Schools (HPS) framework provides a set of policies to be followed in schools for improving the health status of school-going children and adolescents. The current study was done to assess this framework among schools in rural Puducherry. Methods Key informant interviews were done with the teachers under the six World Health Organisation (WHO) HPS framework domains to develop an observation checklist for the assessment of schools in the study area. After the survey, in-depth interviews were conducted as an approach to explore the existing health promotion activities, facilitating or hindering factors in the implementation of health promotion framework and suggestions for improving the same. Results A quantitative survey on nine schools showed that almost all the schools were lacking in domains such as health promotion policy, behaviour counselling and mental and social support. Physical education, facilities and policies for nutrition and community collaboration exist in only some of the schools. Qualitative interviews also showed similar findings and most of the teachers suggested to include training for general health emergencies and behaviour counselling. Conclusion The current study showed that most of the schools were lacking in almost all the domains under the HPS framework. Hence, stakeholders at all levels should be made aware of this framework and develop a strategy for uniform implementation of it in all the schools in the region.

scholarly journals The Health Promoting Schools Framework: Known Unknowns and an Agenda for Future Research

2016 ◽  
Vol 44 (3) ◽  
pp. 463-475 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca Langford ◽  
Christopher Bonell ◽  
Kelli Komro ◽  
Simon Murphy ◽  
Daniel Magnus ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
School Health ◽  
World Health ◽  
Current Evidence ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Process Data ◽  
Whole School ◽  
Health Promoting Schools ◽  
Health Promoting ◽  
Known Unknowns

The World Health Organization’s Health Promoting Schools (HPS) framework is a whole-school approach to promoting health that recognizes the intrinsic relationship between health and education. Our recent Cochrane systematic review found HPS interventions produced improvements in a number of student health outcomes. Here we reflect on what this review was not able to tell us: in other words, what evidence is missing with regard to the HPS approach. Few HPS interventions engage with schools’ “core business” by examining impacts on educational outcomes. Current evidence is dominated by obesity interventions, with most studies conducted with children rather than adolescents. Evidence is lacking for outcomes such as mental or sexual health, substance use, and violence. Activities to engage families and communities are currently weak and unlikely to prompt behavioral change. The HPS approach is largely absent in low-income settings, despite its potential in meeting children’s basic health needs. Intervention theories are insufficiently complex, often ignoring upstream determinants of health. Few studies provide evidence on intervention sustainability or cost-effectiveness, nor in-depth contextual or process data. We set out an agenda for future school health promotion research, considering implications for key stakeholders, namely, national governments, research funders, academics, and schools.

scholarly journals A confluence of evidence

2016 ◽  
Vol 116 (2) ◽  
pp. 154-176 ◽  
Author(s):  
Felicity Thomas ◽  
Peter Aggleton
Keyword(s):  
Health Education ◽  
School Connectedness ◽  
International Health ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Whole School ◽  
Health Promoting Schools ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Health Promoting ◽  
Whole School Approach

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the evidence base to support whole school approaches. Design/methodology/approach – The authors conduct a review of published evaluations and evidence syntheses across six areas in the international health-promoting schools literature. Findings – Although whole school approaches are often advocated in literature and policy on health-promoting schools, the evidence base for their effectiveness is partial and is often health topic specific. This paper reviews the evidence base across six different health-related areas, namely: sexual health; bullying; alcohol and drug use; mental health; school connectedness; and access to services. It identifies commonalities in learning, enabling a confluence of evidence on the factors central to the provision of effective health education and support within schools. Whilst findings endorse a whole school approach, they also suggest that some of the more subtle evidence-based principles on which such approaches are underpinned are not generally explicitly reflected in practice. Originality/value – The paper offers the first cross-topic synthesis of findings on health education effects and effectiveness in six health-related areas, to identify commonalities in learning. Findings contribute to the evidence base for the use of a whole school approach when undertaking health education in schools.

scholarly journals The World Health Organization’s Health Promoting Schools framework: a Cochrane systematic review and meta-analysis

2015 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca Langford ◽  
Christopher Bonell ◽  
Hayley Jones ◽  
Theodora Pouliou ◽  
Simon Murphy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
World Health ◽  
Cochrane Systematic Review ◽  
Health Promoting Schools ◽  
The World ◽  
Health Promoting
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